Creative, Inc.

September 4th, 2010

Creative, Inc. is a new book co-written by Joy Cho and Meg Mateo Ilasco and published by the fantastic Chronicle Books. I was asked to take part in their blog tour (scroll to the bottom of the post for the other blogs involved) and got a review copy, which I pretty much devoured in one sitting.

Meg is a freelance writer/designer/illustrator/stylist/superwoman and has written two other books. Joy is a graphic designer, has a stationery line and a wildly successful blog. I presume at some point they both sleep, or possibly they are some sort of wizards. Basically, these ladies get things done. I read Meg’s first book Craft, Inc. ages ago, so I had high hopes for her latest work.

This book is essentially a guide aimed at all kinds of creatives – from photographers, to graphic designers, stylists and illustrators – who are starting out in freelancing. I’m still only in my first year of being a full-time freelancer, so I feel like I’ve got a lot to learn (especially since three years at university taught me nothing relevant to running an actual business). I would particularly recommend the book to arts students, as most schools do a woefully poor job at preparing us for real life!

The book is divided into 8 chapters which can roughly be broken down to: an introduction to freelancing, getting started, promoting your work, working with clients, money matters, agents, work/life balance and next steps.

What I really liked is that it’s not geared at any one specific discipline. The examples and interviews feature insight and advice from all kinds of talented people. These days it’s common to be a multidisciplinary creative (“slashies” in Meg’s words – like a photographer/illustrator), but this is actually the first time I’ve seen this mentioned in a book. It’s also nice to have a guide that’s in line with the current world of freelancing, i.e. the importance of the internets. Way more than half of my work comes from abroad, so it feels relevant to read about video conferencing, working with clients in different time zones, self promotion online and so on.

There’s a lot of excellent practical advice for setting fees, building a portfolio, writing a business plan, promoting your work and dealing with taxes and paperwork. As an illustrator, I particularly enjoyed the interview about commissioning artwork with the Art Director from the NY Times and the whole section on agents, as I’ve recently started getting approached and been tempted by the prospect (not sure it’s for me yet though).

On the whole, I learned some new things and did a lot of nodding the whole way through. I love that the book is written in an informal, almost chatty, voice so it feels more like a good talk with a mentor, rather than sitting in a boring lecture. After reading it I just wanted to sit down and write a huge long list of Things To Do (update portfolio! sort out expenses! get a personal life!), which is actually the best praise I can give it. If a book gets you fired up to stop reading and get working, then it’s definitely doing something right.

Do you find the book is overly American in reference at all? I’m thinking about buying it as I am beginning to work in freelance illustration/graphic design, and it sounds great, but I don’t want to find some of the practical aspects irrelevent to someone working in the UK..
X

kris atomic says,

October 18th, 2010 @ 4:39 pm

Oh I meant to mention this in the review, but I must have forgotten! I didn’t think it was too American actually, much less so than I expected. Obviously when money is mentioned, it’s in $ but that’s not too much of a problem. The way that different countries deal with taxes and things (registering as self employed, national insurance contributions etc) IS different, so of course do some research on that. The book is a great starting point though.
Hope that helps!
Kris x

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Hello!

I'm Kristina and I live by the sea in Brighton and work as a freelance illustrator. I dig cats, sequins, the internet, Nancy Mitford, cream teas, the Pre-Raphaelites and naps among other things.
This blog is a medley of drawings, photos and anything else I find pleasing to the eye.